Chapter 235: Ronaldo's Invitation, Lin Quan's Influence in Football!
Lin Quan learned about this result afterward and was surprised by how close his score was to Ronaldo's. However, he took it lightly. During an interview with reporters, Lin Quan first congratulated Ronaldo, believing that he deserved the Ballon d'Or, and then expressed his aspirations for this year's award. Since he was so close to the Ballon d'Or last year, there was no reason not to go for it this year.
The public viewed Lin Quan's statement as a sign of his official entry into the Ballon d'Or race.
At a time when there were peak doubts about Ronaldo winning the Ballon d'Or, when news of Lin Quan's comments reached Ronaldo's ears, Ronaldo surprisingly called Lin Quan to thank him.
"Lin, thank you for speaking up for me. I have a gathering in Madrid next week. Will you come?"
Having finally won his second Ballon d'Or, Ronaldo naturally wanted to celebrate with his friends and family.
Lin Quan had no previous interaction with Ronaldo, but Ronaldo had noticed him long ago. Last summer, there were rumors about Lin Quan joining Real Madrid, and Florentino Perez even consulted Ronaldo about his attitude toward Lin Quan joining the club. Ronaldo welcomed Lin Quan to Real Madrid, but in the end, Lin Quan didn't join, and they missed the opportunity to cooperate.
This time, taking advantage of Lin Quan speaking up for him, Ronaldo intended to get to know this rising star in the football world.
In the entire football world, there aren't many players who receive personal invitations from the president.
However, when faced with Ronaldo's invitation, Lin Quan didn't immediately agree.
"When next week? Let me check if I have time."
If it were someone else, Ronaldo might have withdrawn his previous invitation. But today, he was unusually patient. "January 21st. How about that? Are you free?"
Glancing at his schedule, Lin Quan saw that they would be hosting Cardiff City at home on January 18th, and after that, their next match would be the FA Cup on January 25th. There was a seven-day gap, and the team would probably have a three-day break. He did have time.
"Okay, I'll be there for sure. By the way, should I bring a companion?"
This kind of gathering usually involved bringing a companion because Ronaldo's family would be there.
"Up to you!"
Ronaldo replied shortly with three words before hanging up the phone.
Such matters were trivial to him; as long as Lin Quan came, it was fine. If he really didn't have a companion, with so many girls in Madrid, would he still worry about finding someone to accompany him?
Just after hanging up with Ronaldo, Lin Quan received a call from his national team teammate Iniesta.
"Lin, this weekend we're organizing a charity match. Do you have time to join?"
"Xiao Bai, when does the charity match start?"
"January 22nd, at the Camp Nou, led by Maradona and Ronaldo!"
Upon hearing these two prominent names, Lin Quan guessed that this must be a charity match organized by Barcelona.
Last summer, Real Madrid organized a friendly match at the Bernabeu between the Real Madrid Legends and the Juventus Legends. Barcelona organizing such a match during the winter break was obviously a move against Real Madrid. The two teams were interesting, competing on the field and off the field, truly archrivals.
Maradona and Ronaldo had both played for Barcelona before, and those participating in this match should be Barcelona legends or current players.
Although Lin Quan came from La Masia, he had never played for Barcelona's first team. He hesitated a bit about returning to the Camp Nou to play.
"Have all the participating players been found? Are there still any missing?"
"Not yet, we're still missing quite a few people. If you know any football stars who are willing to come, we'd be happy to have them join!"
Xiao Bai's words made Lin Quan breathe a sigh of relief, as if he had overthought things.
"Okay, I'll contact some people and see how many I can get!"
After ending the call with Iniesta, Lin Quan posted a tweet on social media:
"On January 22nd, Charity Match for ALS, Maradona Team vs. Ronaldo Team. Interested buddies, come sign up!"
After sending the tweet, he put down his phone and went out for training.
When he checked his phone again in the evening, he found that his direct messages were almost full.
Reus: "Count me in! Hehe, let big brother cover you, take you to be cool and fly!"
Lin Quan replied with a friendly gesture, greeting him briefly.
De Bruyne: "Charity match? Sounds interesting, count me in!"
Morata: "Me me me, I want to participate! How can the invincible Morata miss such an important match?"
David Silva: "Is it the charity match organized by Xiao Bai? Then count me in too!"
Aguero: "Sounds interesting, can I come and join?"
Lin Quan: "If you're not afraid of your father-in-law Maradona breaking your legs, then come on!"
Aguero: "Well said! That's why I choose to join Ronaldo's team. Hehe, I know Messi will definitely join Maradona's team. I want to experience what it feels like to be his opponent!"
Lin Quan: "Alright then, one more childhood friend who might break your legs!"
In addition to Lin Quan's teammates and friends, there were a few unexpected additions that surprised Lin Quan.
Bayern Munich's goalkeeper Neuer sent him a friend request, and after Lin Quan accepted it, Neuer directly said, "I want to join, as your opponent!"
Lin Quan scratched his head. Neuer's tone sounded like a resentful woman in a palace! When did I offend him? I don't remember!
But if Neuer joined the opposing team, then Lin Quan would have to invite a top goalkeeper from an active team for his side.
Thinking of his national team teammate Casillas, just as he was about to message him to invite him, Buffon actually took the initiative to contact him.
"Kid, need a goalkeeper? If you don't mind this 35-year-old old guy, count me in!"
Buffon volunteering came as a surprise to Lin Quan.
He was hailed as the number one goalkeeper in football. With him on the field, their goal would be much safer.
Just after replying to Buffon, another unexpected person appeared.
Cristiano Ronaldo actually sent Lin Quan a private message, expressing his interest in the match.
To be honest, Ronaldo's voluntary participation completely caught Lin Quan off guard.
He felt that his relationship with Ronaldo wasn't particularly close, so Ronaldo shouldn't be doing this just for his sake, right?
Perhaps it's related to Messi?
Even in a charity match, the president probably wants to beat Messi to prove himself, right? Ugh, this darn competitive spirit.
After Buffon joined, he brought his old teammate Pirlo along.
When word got out that Pirlo was participating, Gattuso also became interested.
This was the first time Lin Quan realized his influence in the football world, and even he was very surprised!
Is my influence in football really that big? He originally thought that not many people would sign up and just planned to go with De Bruyne to join in the fun.
But unexpectedly, there were so many people!
I wonder if when I show up at the Camp Nou with these people, Xiao Bai and the others will be shocked? ...
On January 18th, Matchday 22 of the Premier League, Manchester City hosted Cardiff City at home.
This match was the first appearance for two new signings, De Bruyne and Kroos, representing Manchester City, attracting a large number of fans to the stadium.
Cardiff City's strength wasn't strong; they were currently ranked third from the bottom in the league, with one foot already in the relegation abyss.
In order to avoid relegation, even facing the powerful Manchester City away, they still tried their best to win the match.
However, before the first half ended, Manchester City had already scored three goals.
The cooperation between De Bruyne, who made his debut, and Lin Quan was very tacit. De Bruyne assisted Lin Quan with a goal and also scored one himself with a free kick.
De Bruyne's excellent performance won cheers and applause from the fans at the scene!
Although De Bruyne's transfer fee was far from as high as Kroos', his performance today made Manchester City's fans realize that they might have struck gold!
Seeing De Bruyne perform so well, Pellegrini was delighted.
In the second half, he replaced Fernandinho with another new signing, Kroos.
Kroos and De Bruyne were not the same type of player; he belonged to the kind who controlled the rhythm of the game.
After he came on, he organized the transition from defense to attack and vice versa very well.
Although there were a few mistakes due to lack of coordination with teammates, it didn't affect the overall situation.
After Kroos came on, the pace of the game completely fell under Manchester City's control.
Cardiff City's resistance was like a punch on cotton, having no effect at all. Instead, because they fell into Manchester City's rhythm, it was like being shackled, struggling more tightly, and finally suffocating to death.
The match ended with Manchester City easily defeating Cardiff City 4-0, further consolidating their top spot.
After the match, in the media ratings, Lin Quan, with one goal and one assist, received the highest score of 9.2.
De Bruyne, who started the match and had one assist and one goal, received a high score of 7.8, and substitute Kroos also got 7.5.
Perhaps from the intuitive feeling of the fans at the scene, Kroos' performance wasn't as impressive as De Bruyne's, who had completed several imaginative passes.
But in the eyes of real football experts, they would never underestimate the contribution Kroos made to the team on the field.
Manchester City had been lacking a midfielder who could dictate the game, and Kroos' arrival solved this problem.
When he and De Bruyne were on the field together, one linked the defense and midfield, and the other linked the midfield and attack.
With Lin Quan being freed up more to face the opponent's goal, it made Manchester City's attacks very easy to succeed, and the transition from attack to defense was very fast.
But this combination also has its drawbacks. Both players are not particularly strong defensively, and their physical confrontation abilities are not outstanding.
If they encounter opponents who engage them in midfield battles, Manchester City, with its somewhat insufficient toughness, might suffer.
After the league ended, Pellegrini gave the team five days off.
The next league match starts on January 29th, which is 11 days from now. This time is just enough for the players to rest.
As for the FA Cup match on January 25th, because Manchester City's opponent is a team from the Championship, which is relatively weak, Pellegrini plans to use a backup lineup.
During this period, Manchester City had too many matches, and they were too densely packed. The team couldn't even rest during the Christmas period. Now that the match density has finally decreased, if the players aren't given a break, they might rebel.
Lin Quan originally thought Pellegrini would only give them 3 days off, so he was considering whether to ask for leave.
Unexpectedly, Pellegrini was so understanding and actually gave them five days off.
Now that's great, no need to ask for leave.
What he didn't know was that Pellegrini originally only intended to give three days off, but after learning that Lin Quan was going to participate in a charity match on January 22nd, he changed his mind and extended the holiday by two days.
This way, after the match, Lin Quan would still have a day off to rest, so as not to be too tired and affect his condition.
To better protect Lin Quan, Pellegrini really went to great lengths.
...
On January 21st, Lin Quan arrived in Madrid with Lily Collins on time.
Cristiano Ronaldo's gathering was scheduled at an upscale club, and when Lin Quan arrived, many people were already there.
Some of them Lin Quan recognized were Cristiano Ronaldo's former teammates at Manchester United, his current teammates at Real Madrid, and some former teammates with whom he had a good relationship.
Seeing Lin Quan arrive with his girlfriend, Cristiano Ronaldo hurriedly came over with his own girlfriend Irina.
"Lin, you're finally here!"
Lin Quan reached out to shake hands with Cristiano Ronaldo, but unexpectedly, he received a warm hug instead.
This caught Lin Quan off guard. Wasn't Ronaldo always portrayed as very aloof? I didn't expect him to be so warm in private. It seems that rumors can't always be trusted.
"Is this your girlfriend? Aren't you going to introduce her?"
After hugging Lin Quan, Cristiano Ronaldo smiled and introduced his girlfriend Irina to Lin Quan, then waited for Lin Quan to introduce his own companion.
"Ahem, this is my girlfriend Lily Collins. Lily, this is Cristiano Ronaldo, the winner of the recent Ballon d'Or and one of the top football stars in the world!"
Lily Collins didn't seem shy in such occasions. She graciously extended her hand, "Congratulations, Mr. Cristiano!"
Upon hearing Lin Quan's words, Cristiano Ronaldo was very pleased. He might not care much about others' compliments, as he had heard too many, but Lin Quan was different. He was recognized as a player whose skill could reach the level of the two legendary players.
For Cristiano Ronaldo, gaining Lin Quan's recognition was the best gift.
Although Cristiano Ronaldo had always appeared confident in his abilities, deep down he didn't have that much confidence.
When Messi achieved his fourth Ballon d'Or, Cristiano Ronaldo even doubted his own abilities.
This time winning the Ballon d'Or finally helped him stabilize his confidence, preventing a collapse of his morale.
After presenting the gifts they brought, Lin Quan and Lily Collins, under the guidance of Cristiano Ronaldo and Irina, respectively, went to the separate resting areas for men and women.
"Here are your familiar teammates, they will take care of you. I need to attend to other guests, so I'll take my leave for now!"
Cristiano Ronaldo patted Lin Quan's shoulder, greeted his club teammates like Casillas and Ramos, and then left the rest area.
"Lin, come here!"
Ramos waved to Lin Quan, letting him sit between himself and Casillas.
This position seemed to be specially reserved for Lin Quan. Morata was also invited, but he didn't have such good treatment and could only sit in the marginal area.
"How does it feel to miss out on the Ballon d'Or by a narrow margin?"
Casillas smiled and asked Lin Quan.
For him and Ramos, because of their positions, it was very difficult for them to win the Ballon d'Or.
And their performances were far from winning the Ballon d'Or, so they might never get a chance like Lin Quan's.
Therefore, they both thought that after missing out on the Ballon d'Or this time, Lin Quan must feel very frustrated and regretful.
However, to their surprise, Lin Quan didn't have any special feelings about this, but rather calmly said:
"It feels like benefiting from the rules. If FIFA hadn't changed the voting rules, I don't think I would have been able to replace Messi and make it into the top three."
Messi initially had a high number of votes, even higher than Ribery's.
However, FIFA allowed the modification of previously cast votes, and Messi happened to be injured and recovering during that time, so he suffered a lot after the votes were recounted.
"Hehe, rules can be changed, but no matter how they change, if you don't have outstanding performances, others won't vote for you!"
Lin Quan nodded, suddenly thinking of a question.
The Ballon d'Or voting rights come from the captains and coaches of various national teams. As the captain of Spain, who did Casillas, give his three votes to?
"Captain, did you give your first vote to Cristiano Ronaldo or me?"
San Iker, who was peeling an orange to eat, heard Lin Quan's question and started coughing violently.
"Cough, cough, cough... Of course, it's..."
"Of course, it's Cristiano Ronaldo!"
Casillas finally managed to finish a sentence, then received Lin Quan's expected eye roll without surprise.
"Captain, I didn't expect you, this thick-browed fellow, to betray the revolution too!"
Lin Quan pointed at Casillas, looking dismayed.
Casillas hurriedly explained, "Cough, cough, I didn't expect you to get so many votes. I thought it would be great if you could make it to the top five. Who knew you would make it to the top two?"
"Damn, are you blaming me for this too?"
"Hehe, not really, but if I had known, I would have definitely given my first vote to you!"
Casillas was also somewhat helpless. He was the captain of both Real Madrid and Spain.
Florentino Perez, the president of Real Madrid, specially lobbied many people to vote for Cristiano Ronaldo.
As the captain, of course, he had to vote for the star player of his own club, so Casillas's first vote was cast for Cristiano Ronaldo.
The voters had a total of 3 votes, with the first vote counting for 5 points, the second for 3 points, and the third for 1 point.
So, the first vote of the voters carried the most weight and was the most crucial.
To win the Ballon d'Or, you need to get more votes and also have enough first-place votes.
In the list of votes and points published by FIFA, Lin Quan received a lot of votes, but his first-place vote rate was low, far lower than Cristiano Ronaldo's.
He suffered because of this.
"Okay, I forgive you. But you must have given me your second vote, right?"
"Well, not really, the third vote, the third vote went to you!"
Casillas quickly said, earning a scornful look from Lin Quan.
Ramos, curious on the side, asked, "Then who did you give your second vote to?"
Casillas's face turned red, and he stammered, "Uh, I... I voted for myself..."
(End of this chapter)
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